Switch-operating mechanism.



M. L. SHEPHERD. SWITCH OPERATING MBGHANISM. a APPLICATION FILED IEB. 17, 1910. RENBWED NKOV. 3, 1911. 1,011,502.v

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 00.. WASHINGTON n. C.'

MARSHALL L. SHEPHERD, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification kof Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed Februaryl?, 1910, Serial No. 544,409. Renewed November 3, 1911. Serial. No. 658,418.

ino all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL L. SHEP- Hmm, a, citizen of the United States, residing at Montgomery, in the county of Mont- .5 gomery and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Switch- Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to operating devices for railway switches and has for its object the provision of a construction whereby a switch point may be moved to permit a car to continue on the main line or pass to a siding without the necessity of the operator leaving the car or the car coming to a standstill before the switch is operated.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain 20 novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification; Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch and main rails showing my improved device in position with the guide plates removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow shown crossing the line of section. Fig. 3 is a detail of the connecting rod between the switch point and shifting member and also showing the casing for the rod in longitudinal section. Fig. is a plan view of one end portion of the device with the top plates in position.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The main rails are designated by the numerals 5 and 6, one of the siding rails by the numeral 7 and the switch point by the numeral 8.

The device' forming the subject matterv of the present invention includes an oblong frame centrally positioned between the main rails with one end portion extending beyond the switch point. The opposite longitudinal 50 sides of this frame are designated by the numerals 9 and 10, the opposite ends by the numerals 11 and 12. The opposite ends 11 and 12 are medially provided on their upper surfaces with transverse slots 14 and 13.

Positioned within the frame thus formed is a shift-ing member, which is a trifle less in length than the length of the frame and' considerably less in width than the width of the frame. The shifting member is preferablyof metal and is substantially rectangular in cross section and corresponds in thickness to the depth of the frame, or approximately so.

Formed on the upper face of the shifting member are a pairof longitudinal channels designated by the numerals 15 and 16. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that these channels are of peculiar Yconstruction extending from points adjacent to the opposite sides and at one end of the member and converging at points a trifle beyond the middle of the member whence they diverge to the opposite end of the member. The divergence of the channels is such that the medial portion of one end of each channel will be in alinement with the medial portion of the opposite end of the other channel, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

llfhe shifting member is supported in the frame by means of a pair of bars 17 and 18, the opposite ends of which areV secured adjacent to the'opposite end portions of the sides 9 and 10 of the frame, the bars providing a comparatively smooth bearing surface for the movement of the shifting member. y

Connection between the shifting member and switch point is established by means of a connecting rod 19, best'shown in Fig. The connecting rod is connected at one end to the switch point and its opposite end extends to the medial portion of the shifting member and at a point adjacent to the converging portions of the channels. Formed at this last-named inner end of the connecting rod and on the upper face thereof is a bushing 2O provided at its upper end with a shoulder 21. Formed on the lower face of the shifting member is a bushing 22 having a central countersunk portion to receive the reduced terminal of the bushing 20. Formed in the shifting member is a vertical opening which extends through the lcountersunk portion of the bushing 22, the said opening alining with a similar opening formed in the bushing 21 and connecting rod19, these alining openings receiving a pin or bolt 23, by means of which the parts are securely connected;

It will be observed that the provision of the bolt is merely to insure against accidental displacement of the parts, it being readily conceived however, that in the event of the bolt breaking or becoming defective the parts will be held together by virtue of the interiitting of the bushings.

The connecting rod 19 is protected by a tubular casing 24, which receives the rod, the said casing being interiorly screwthreaded at its opposite ends to receive caps one of which is shown in Fig. 3 and designated by the numeral 25, the said caps serving to prevent the entrance of water or other material into the casing thus reducing t-he liability of the parts to freeze in extremely cold weather.

By reference now to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the frame is provided with a pair of guide plates 26 and 27. These members correspond in length to the length of the frame and have `their outer longitudinal sides pivoted to the opposite. sides of the frame, while the inner longitudinal sides are spaced apart and in alinement with the opposite sides of the recesses 13 and 14 in the ends 12 and 11 of the frame.

The device is operated by an object depending from the forward end of the car and when the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. l and a car passing in the direction of the arrow in said figure it will be manifest when the object enters the slot 14 it will be received by one of the channels, the end of which is in alinement with the said slot 1-1. As the car moves forwardly, it being understood that the object is rigidly held, it will be seen that owing to the opposite end portions of the channel extending outwardly that the object held by the car on entering that portion of the channel adjacent to the opposite end of the member will bear on the side of the channel, whereby the member will be moved bodily to one side and sufficiently far to move the switch point. As the member moves bodily the end of the channel adjacent to that end of the frame remote from the end irst engaged by the object will move into alinement with the recess 13, thus permitting the object carried by the car to pass outwardly and at the same time to position the end of the opposite channel adjacent to the recess 14 in alinement with the said recess 14, so that a car following will, when the object carried thereby engages with the channel and passes therethrough move the switch point in the opposite direction.

The lateral movements of the shifting member are cushioned by means of a pair of oppositely positioned helical springs 28 and 29, which are arranged at the extremities of inwardly extending blocks 31 and 30 located on the inner surfaces of the sides 9 and 10 of the frame.

From the foregoing it is evident that I have provided a device which is comparatively simple in structure and inexpensive in manufacture, embodying few parts and these so arranged that the danger of derangement will be reduced to a minimum.

I claim 1. In a switch operating mechanism the combination with the stationary rails and a pivoted switch point; of a bodily movable shifting member positioned between the stationary rails, a connection between said `member and switch point, said member being provided on its upper surface with a pair o-f longitudinal channels diverging at the opposite ends of the member, the end of one of said channels being in alinement with t-he opposite end of the other channel whereby a rigidly held object passing through one channel will operate to move the member and switch point in one direction and thus position the other channel to receive a similarly held object passing in the same direction as the first whereby the shifting member and switch point will be moved in the opposite direction.

2. In a switch operating mechanism the combination wit-h the stationary rails and a pivcted switch point; of a centrally positioned frame arranged between the stationary rails, and provided at its opposite ends with medially disposed transverse recesses, a bodily movable shifting member positioned in said frame, a connection between said member and switch point, said shifting member being provided on its upper surface with a pair of longitudinal channels diverging at the opposite ends of the member, the end of one of said channels being in alinement with the opposite end of the other channel, one of said channels having one end normally in alinement with one of said recesses whereby a rigidly held object passing through the said recess and one channel will operate to move the member laterally and with it the switch point before passing through the opposite end of the recess and thus position the end portion of the other channel to receive a similarly held object passing in the salne direction as the first whereby the shifting member and switch point will move in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARSHALL L. SHEPHERD.

lVitnesses:

BENNETT S. JONES, R. M. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

